Volvo C30 Electric News

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Swedish automaker Volvo wants the world to know it has big plans to produce a zero emissions fleet by 2020. But while its rivals are moving forward with their EV programs, Volvo isn’t speaking in specific terms about full-scale production electric cars.

Despite a number of promising concepts from Volvo, and a fleet of more than 250 electrified C30 coupes already on European roadways, the Swedish automaker has been slow when it comes to bringing an electric vehicle to market. The company has now announced another concept: a fast-charger system, one that trims the time needed for a full recharge to only 1.5 hours.

Most of the electric car fanfare this year has gone to a few companies, most notably Nissan, Chevy, Ford and Tesla. That’s because these companies have vehicles on sale today, or coming very soon. Meanwhile, many others are working on pilot projects that will produce real-world EVs in the next year or two. As if to remind us that it’s continuing its EV efforts, Volvo has released a suite of short documentary-style videos about the upcoming Volvo C30 Electric.

Although Sweden's Saab faces bankruptcy, and Norway's Think just barely escaped it, the Nordic regions are ripe for electric cars, and they're starting to roll out. As proof of momentum, Volvo announced a new strategic alliance with Siemens.

Here comes Volvo with a dual hybrid architecture—serial and parallel—where the electric motor, the battery and the ICE are the same, exactly in the same place. It's very clever engineering, and if you'd asked me I would have said it was impossible, but Volvo did it.

Volvo has extended a generous offer to PluginCars.com to pose our questions about the company’s electric car plans to Stefan Jacoby, the company’s top executive. Mr. Jacoby will respond to your questions (maybe even in a video, no promises) that will be posted to PluginCars.com.

Volvo is developing systems that don’t need power sockets or charging cables to keep your electric car full of juice. The company is launching a project that uses inductive charging, with charging plate buried in the road surface to wirelessly transfer energy to the car’s battery. Cool stuff, but don't expect it anytime soon.

In a bit of an odd twist, Volvo has decided that their fully electric C30—set to be leased on a limited basis starting next year for a whopping $2,100 per month—will carry around a 3.8 gallon (14.5 liter) tank of ethanol for heating the passenger cabin.

With dozens of new electric cars in development, the true test of an automaker’s commitment will come to production numbers, timeline and price. In that regard, the report from Edmunds that the Volvo C30 Electric will lease for $2,100 a month casts doubts on the company’s commitment to build and sell electric cars beyond a niche market.

Even the loudest environmentalists would find it difficult to cut their personal carbon emissions by 85 percent. But that’s exactly what each member of a Swedish family of four will be doing during the next six months. The Dad, Mom and two teenagers will become human guinea pigs—green ones—for six months as they agree to move into the ultimate energy-efficient home, powered by wind and solar, with high-efficiency appliances used to cook locally produced sustainable food and, of course, drive an electric car, the Volvo C30 Electric.